Apex
by jtbruce
Summary: The only thing he could remember was the Woman in the Hat. She asked,he answered sometimes he wish he said no. (rewrite in progress.)
1. Chapter 1

The dream was always the same.

The first thing, he could remember the only thing really. He was driving, couldn't remember the make of the car, it's color, not even what the radio was playing, or where he was going just that he needed to go there. The road was dark, sometimes it's a backroad, other times it's the highway.

While he was driving his phone rang, it was important to answer it. He couldn't remember who was on the other line or what was said just that it distracted him enough that he didn't see that he was in the wrong lane or the car heading for him. He panicked, jerked on the wheel to avoid the car there was a crash.

When he came to on grass everything hurt, he could barely breathe, he couldn't feel his legs either. His vision was blurry at the edges, he could see his phone some distance away if he could make it to his phone he could call for help.

Reaching out he dragged himself to his phone. Every inch he moved the pain he felt only got worse, stabbing at his sides like knives it hurt more than anything he ever felt. But it didn't matter as long as he reached his phone.

By the time he finally touched his phone he could barley think straight anymore. But when he looked at it the screen was cracked and blank. It most have broke in the crash.

With no chance left he turn to lay on his back. He looked down at his legs and immediately wished he didn't his legs were gone turn basically to pulp. He could even see the red bloody trail he left on the ground.

It wasn't fair he didn't deserve this. He didn't want to die. He tried to speak no words came out. In his mind he begged for someone to come save him.

This next part he could remember clearly.

As he laid there slowly bleeding out. He didn't want to die he knew he has to do something, he had to live no matter what. As if the universe was answering his prayers, some kind of portal open out of it walked a woman.

She was dressed in a suit with a fedora on her head. She walked towards him uncaring of the state of his body. He tried to speak but any words out of his mouth were just whispers and wet coughs. When she reached him, she kneeled down next to his head. She reached out and placed on a hand on his cheek, in the other she held a vial.

She looked him in his unfocused bleary eyes, in his better days he thinks of her as an angel come to save him. In his worst ones a devil that's come to dam him to hell. He's had a lot of worst days than better ones.

"Do you want to live?" she asked, staring down at the dying boy. "Yes or No."

"Yes." He cough out, the woman's face was blank emotionless, she took the vial in her hand and poured it down his mouth massaging his throat to get it down. It tasted terrible like liquid garbage but worst was as soon as it hit his stomach was the pain.

It felt like he was burning alive, his body stretched, bulged, and twisted. The pain was so great he couldn't think all that existed was the pain, a screamed was ripped from his mouth loud enough to be heard for miles.

The last thing he saw was the woman's face. Her was still blank but the look in her eyes as she stared at him like he was a lab rat. Before he could even think on that everything faded to black.

XxX

"Apex, are you paying attention?"

"Sorry Director, zoned out for a minute there." His voice was a mixture of human and something else.

Director Piggot was a large Caucasian woman with blonde hair done in a bob, she was wearing a drab dress suit. She was seated in the seat of a helicopter in her lap an open folder, across from her was what could possibly consider a Monster.

The Monster head looked like an organic helmet, his entire face was featureless the top half was black with red fins sticking outward. The lower part of his was a stark white. The top part of his body was made of the same black as his face, that part ended at his chest the rest was a red that covered most of his body ending at his waist and hands. his legs were black while his feet appeared humanlike. His finger were black and ended in tipped points. On his right hand was an Omega symbol, telling what he was a Case 53. His name was Apex, but it was John to his friends.

"I what to know if the information in this file about your abilities were correct." She asked, with her hand on the folder with his profile.

"Yes Ma'am, it all pretty accurate why are you asking me?" he wondered.

"It's best to hear from the person about this-" she looked down at his folder and began reading out load what it said there. "-You have been labeled with ratings in Changer, Blaster, Brute, Thinker, and Mover-." She looked at him an eyebrow raised. "- Care to explain all of this."

"Well, Brute is easy I'm really strong and can pretty much regenerate anything short of my head. For Changer I can grow wings and a tail, I can also grow taller and bigger when I do that I become even stronger. For Blaster I have these vents in my legs, arms and my back. They expel a flame that I can use as a booster to hit harder and fly faster. Thinker because I have really enhanced senses of sight, hearing, and smell. Mover Because of the flying and my running speed is around 70mph." He ticked off the list of his powers on his hand.

"Hm, and hear I thought that this was overstating your abilities. Good I'm sure you read up on the situation here on the airplane ride here, correct." She closed her folder to focus on him.

"Yes Ma'am." He answered her, waving his own folder. "You're understaffed, outgunned and the situation is one of the worse you could be in, right?"

"That is the long and short of it yes." She nodded before leaning back and taking a deep breath before continuing. " We lost Three Parahumans to Leviathan, the situation in the city is deteriorating worse everyday. People are panicking and terrified." She again leaned forward placing her hands in front of her face. "We have to take control of the city back from the chaos, Apex."

"Got it Ma'am, but I have to ask why did you want me of all people here?" he asked her as he looked out to the city. It was a depressing sight it was early and the sun was rising, but all that did was show the damage and hardship the city's been through.

"Do you know the biggest complaint against you from your last Director was?" she answered his question with a question.

"I'm to scary, I look like a monster, people are afraid of me." He looked up as he remembered peoples reaction to him. They mostly screamed in fear civilians, villains, and heroes alike.

"Yes, that's exactly it." She smiled, one that promised violence. " What I need right now isn't a pretty face, what I need is a show of force that's you. I need you to terrify." She pointed at him. There conversation ended as they landed at the helipad on top of the PRT HQ. They disembarked and head inside. " Now let's introduce you to your new teammates."

XxX

The elevator was quite on the way down. It open to a long hallway walking through it he came to a security terminal. Opening it reveled a room that appeared to be his new living space inside it was his new team, some in their costumes and all unmasked. According to his files.

The one in white with clocks covering it was Clockblocker, he was on a computer. He had red hair and freckles, he was also staring a the computer like he wanted to kill it. His helmet was at his feet.

The only other guy was at a table tinkering with what looked like a kids fake Sci-Fi gun. That is probably Kid Win, he had brown hair and normal looking he was dressed in normal clothes and looked to be half asleep.

The black girl fiddling with a crossbow and sitting in a couch, was most likely Shadow Stalker. She was also in costume, she looked like she wanted nothing more than to leave and go on patrol.

The final occupant was a blond hair girl in a ponytail chances are that was Vista. She hand a couple of bandages around her hands still a little bloody her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying a lot recently.

As soon as the door finished opening and Apex step in, they took one look at him stop what they were doing. And jumped up like they were going to attack him.

Shadow Stalker aimed her crossbow at him.

Kid Win picked up his gun to turn its sights on Apex.

Space changed and bended around Vista.

Clockblocker got ready to charge him.

Apex raised his hands, before he chuckled.

"Hi Guys, I'm your new leader Apex, but you all can call me John."


	2. Chapter 2

He kept his hands up and perfectly still until his statement sucked in to there head. When it finally did they relaxed, dropped there stance and use of there power.

Which was good because fighting his team as soon as he met them would have been bad, maybe later. He put his arms down and tried to look non-threatening as possible, and took a look around the room.

"Hey, as I said before I'm Apex, but when were not out on the field I'd liked it if you would call me John. The higher ups have decided to put me in charge of this team and I hope we will work well together." They just stared at him when he was done, "So any questions?"

"Why John?" The freckled redhead Clockblocker, or Dennis.

"Would you like it if I called you Clockblocker all the time?"

"Point."

"You any good?" the girl with the crossbow, Shadow Stalker, Sophia Hess asked him.

"At what exactly?" he wondered, because that could be taken a lot of ways, fun ways.

If anything the response just made her mad. "In a fight, are you any good or is all that just for show?" she clarified waving at his body, she placed the crossbow in a holster.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I've been in a lot of fights since I… became like this."

"Really like where?" she challenge, what was her deal was she looking for a fight? Eh could be fun later.

"Mostly in places like this, cities in the aftermath of major attacks. Where law and order are pretty much gone. Fun times." The answer seem to only interest her. The next one to ask anything was the blonde haired little one, Vista real name Missy Biron

"I remember you, you where here fighting Leviathan, right?" He nodded in response. She continued, "Do you do that a lot, fight Endbringers I mean?" Again he nodded, where was she going with this he wondered. She took a breath looked him where his eyes should be an asked. "How do you do people do that?"

Everyone stared in shock at her after that statement including him. He folded his arms and stared at Vista in a new light. _Interesting._

"You.." he trailed off staring at her. "You want to actually fight the Endbringers?" She nodded. "In my opinion there are two kinds of people that actually fight Endbringers, those that are strong enough to survive and those that are crazy enough that they just don't care."

"Which are you then?" Vista asked, staring at him with piecing eyes hands clenched at her sides.

"The latter I have to say." At his response the shocked looks at Vista switched to him. " Which one would you be though?" She didn't have an answer to that. With that line of question done, he walk around them to sit in one of the couches. The others followed him to sit in there own to continue the Q&A. Next up was the one with brown hair that looked like he needed some sleep, Kid Win, Chris.

"Do you have a mouth?"

 _What?_

"What?" At Chris's question both Sophia and Missy turn to stare at him like he was an idiot. Clockblocker just hunched over and started to shake a little.

"No, I mean you're talking and a voice comes out but your face doesn't move at all and it made wonder just how you're talking then I wonder how do you eat and I'm just really curious and confused." He rambled on in a single breath.

"Yes I have a mouth." He said, he leaned forward. A line appeared in the middle of his face that separated, reveling rows of stark white razor sharp teeth. "See."

"Cool." Chris said as he leaned forward as everyone moved back when his mouth opened. Chris then tilted his head and narrowed his eyes "So…"

"How much of your body is like a regular per…"

"No." He interrupted, that just made Dennis shake even harder.

"Bu…" Chris wondered, at this point both Sophia and Missy just stared at them. 

" **No.** "

"Sorry."

"It's fine." Before there conversation could get any more weird the door leading to the elevator opened. Out of it came a PRT agent, he looked over to them when his eyes passed over John he froze up a bit before walking over to them.

"The Director needs to talk to you for a minute." He said looking at John.

 _Thank god._ "Right." John said standing up, followed the man out to the elevator. " Don't want to keep the Director waiting." As he walked to the elevator he could still hear them talking . By the time John left the room Dennis was able to get himself under control and stop his laughter.

"It wasn't that funny Dennis."

"I know, I know but after the week we've had I really needed a laugh thanks Chris."

"Do you think he's mad?"

"Who cares."

"Dennis!"

It was on that note that the elevator doors open. As he entered them the Wards conversation slowly disappeared to him as he reached the floor with the Directors office. When he step out of the elevator to see Piggot, he was struck by the fact that every floor looked the same. A guy could get lost in the place. When he reached the door leading into Piggot's office there was a desk in front of it with a secretary, and a few chairs on the side. In one of those chairs was a blonde girl. Neither notice his arrival both to focused on the door than the hallway.

Extending his senses he could hear the heartbeats of several people in the room, but only two of them are talking one he recognize as Director Piggot the other was young female and seemed to sound angry.

"I can't do that, my power doesn't wor…"

"It dose the question is will you or won't you."

"I won't."

"Then leave."

"Just like that?"

"I'm not your mother, your superior, or your peer. I can't force you to do something you don't want to do so leave I'll fine another way."

He could hear footsteps heading to the door before they stop. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good, when can you get started?"

"Might as well start now, sooner I'm done sooner I leave."

"Very well, I'll have Richard take you the lab to get started."

The door to the Director office open as a mousey brown haired girl in a white robe walked out next to her was another PRT agent or the same one they all looked the same to him. As soon as the brown one cleared the door the blonde one jumped up and rushed her.

"Ames you done yet can we go?"

"Not yet Vicky I'll still need to be hear for the rest of the day but you can leave if you want to."

"if you say so. Call me when you need a lift home."

"Okay."

When they turn to the hallway to leave. They finally noticed him standing there the blonde one Vicky stepped forward and floated off the floor. "Who are you?"

"Name's John. You."

Her feet set back as she stared at him. "Uh I'm Victoria." She then waved to the brown hair one. "This is my sister Amy." Amy just stared at him.

"Hey."

"So you're the new Ward that's been transferred in?" Amy asked him.

"Yeah, why did you meet with the Director?"

"Not important." She turned to Vicky. "I have to do this, I'll see you later Vicky." She walked down the hallway followed by the agent. That just left the two of them standing there. John walked into the office, leaving Vicky standing there.

The Directors office was spacious and empty there was no pictures on the wall of anything really. The only thing in there was a wooden desk in front of a window. There wasn't any personal affects on it or around the room that showed a person even used the place. Sitting in a chair behind the desk was the Director. She was going over plans it seems blueprints of buildings, routes for patrols, and files on people. When she noticed him in the room she stopped and looked up at him.

"John its good that you're here the others should be here soon." As soon as the words were out of her mouth the door opened again as two people entered. One was a man dressed in a red armored suit, he was wearing a red visor, Assault. The other was a woman in army fatigues with an American flag wrapped around her head, Miss Militia. They took one look at him then turned to the Director. "Hannah, Ethan good now that everyone is here we can begin." She folded her hands infront of her face as she started the meeting.

"We are loosing the city." Well that's one way to start a meeting because the three of them snapped to attention at her words. "After Leviathan hit the villains of this city have decided that Brockton Bay is the own personal playground. I have tried to play by the book, but everytime we do we loose even more ground!" she slammed her hands on the desk as she stood up, still staring at the desk. "I'm tired of it, so I thought long and hard about what to do. And I decided that if this city is going to be saved then we are going to have to do things differently." She lifted her head to look at them. "you three are here because you have the mentality to do what needs to be done."

"Director that sounds like you want us to go to war." Hannah looked uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"We're already at war, Hannah." Argued Ethan, a growl in his voice.

"So this is why you wanted me. Who are we going after first?" John asked getting to the point of the meeting.

"If we start this we wouldn't survive the backlash from the gangs." Hannah tried to reason with them.

"If we aren't willing to risk are lives then who will." Ethan retorted "the city is falling apart we have to do something or lose it."

"But.."

"Enough!" interrupting there arguments was the Director. "Hannah if you don't want to do this I understand." She stared at Hannah. "But we are reaching a point of no return we have to do something or risk monster taking over this city. Are you with me?"

Hannah looked her in the eyes before she dropped her head to look at the floor. "Fine." She sighed, she stood up straight eyes determined. "let's do this. How do we begin?"

"Good." The Director smiled, one that showed all teeth. "Get ready because tonight we're going hunting."


	3. Chapter 3

After the meeting with the Director was finished John head back to the Wards living quarters. Looking for something to do to kill the hours while he waited for the operation to start. When he entered the room the only person there was Dennis still but this time he was watching the TV.

Without turning his head Dennis called out to John. "You're luggage showed up while you were in that meeting. They placed it in your room." He waved his arm to where the bedrooms were.

"Which room is that?" John walked over to the couch Dennis was sitting in and sat down in the one next to it. Dennis turn to look at him for a second before ignoring him to watch TV. It was a nature documentary. "Really?"

"It's informative." Dennis turned to stare at him with distaste in his eyes. "Your room is the last one at the end of the hallway to the left. It used to have been Carlos's."

"Aegis, your leader before he died. " He could already guess how this was going to go, but he could be wrong. "What kind of guy was he?." Dennis twitched turn to glare at him before looking back at the TV. They watched a lioness stalk her prey across the savanna before Dennis spoke up.

"He was.." Dennis trailed off, he lean forward and rubbed his face. "I don't know what to say. Carlos was my friend, he's the guy you talk to if you have a problem, the one you trust to always have you back." His voiced hitched and tears welled up in his eyes. "The one guy you expect to always be there." His voice evened out and tears dried up. "But he's gone and we're stuck with you. No offence but…"

"You don't trust me." John finished for him.

"Yeah I don't." Dennis agreed, his voice was flat there wasn't any emotion in it just a simple fact. At the end of the day Dennis didn't know the guy.

"You know what they say trust is earned not given. I'll try and earn yours." John told him as he stood up.

"Good luck with that." Dennis chuckled at John little remark. Who knows maybe someday he would.

"Man that was heavy." John said, Dennis smirked at him. "Do you know where everyone is?"

"Chris is in his lab, Missy went to the cafeteria, Sophia is doing Sophia things, and I think Lily is in the gym."

"Lily, she's the other ward they sent in?"

"Yep."

"Okay, good talk Dennis see you later." John told him as he walked out of the room. Dennis said nothing returning to watch TV. in silence. Thinking about which member John was going to see first. As if to answer him his stomach started to rumble, well he could use a bite to eat.

XxX

The PRT cafeteria was mostly empty with everyone seated. It had several tables lining the area on the side of the wall was the cafeteria line with few people behind it running the place. It seems the only food the place had was what look like military rations.

It also meant there was no line for him to wait through. After he got his tray he looked around the room for Missy. He found her in a corner table by herself picking at her plate with a fork. Walking over he sat in the seat opposite of her. She looked up at him for a second before going back to pick at her food.

They ate in silence for a few minutes as John looked at her. Missy was a strange contradiction of young and old if anyone looked at her on the street they would just see a kid but if you take a good look at her face more especially her eyes you would see a person the looks much older than what her real age tells you. After awhile Missy spoke up.

"I'm.." she stopped midsentence looked at him before again focusing on her plate. "Sorry about earlier for putting you on the spot like that."

"It's no problem I understand were you're coming from." John stopped eating to look at her.

"It's during the fight I felt so useless." They both knew what fight she was referring to. Her body shook as she held back her tears. "What can people do against something like that? What's the point?"

"In the face of overwhelming power the only thing you can really do is stand your ground."

"Even if it kills you?"

"Everyone dies." He told her causing her to jerk her head up to stare at him. "The only thing you can do in the end is live your life and choose how you go."

"Thanks for the talk." Missy told him as she stood up to leave.

"Don't mention it." But before Missy could leave John reached out to grab her hand stopping her and making her look at him questioning. "If you ever want to talk more Missy, you know where to find me."

"Okay." She told him, then she smiled it was a small sad smile. One that would have been better on an old man than a little girl. Those were the kind of thoughts that ran through his head as he watched her walk out of the cafeteria.

Two down, now which ones were he going to see next?

XxX

Every Tinker's lab is different depending on their specialty, their personality and how much money is put into it. Chris's lad was in a few words messy, disorganized, and unfocused. The room the lab is in was big, lined up on one wall was several tools the use of he couldn't figure for. One the other wall was what looked like parts to his armor meant to replace whatever is broken. Also next to the armor parts there were also gun racks filled with pistols, riffles and even cannons.

In the center of the lab was a large table filled even more parts next to the table was Chris. He was working on some device, he was working on it so intently that he didn't notice when John entered the lab. After studying his newest invention for a few minute, he stood up and threw it behind him.

Right at John. When the sound of metal hitting flesh instead of metal on metal was heard behind him. Chris turn around to see who he hit when he saw his new leader he freaked out a bit.

"Oh man I didn't see you there are you okay did I hurt you?"

John didn't answer instead he was looking at the device he caught before it hit him. He turn it this way and that before waving it at Chris. "What exactly is this thing anyway?"

"It's um.." Chris stopped and rubbed his head. "I really don't know."

"How do you not know?"

"It's suppose to be a scanner designed to scan buildings and the surrounding area for people by the vibration they make in the ground as they move." Chris explained.

"Hm then what is the problem with it?"

"The range sucks and it only last for a few minutes before it needs to be charge." Chris huffed out as he collapsed in his chair. "It needs a signal booster and a better power source, but I don't know how to do it!" Chris waved to the scanner in John hands. "It's like that with everything I built they are always incomplete. God I'm a worst Tinker than Leet."

"I don't know what a Leet is but it sounds disappointing."

"Yeah it is." Chris turn to look at his wall of tools. "I keep thinking that the next thing I make would tell me just what my specialty is but everything I make is a joke incomplete trash."

"Maybe you're just looking at the problem wrong." John told Chris as he walk around the table to stand at the opposite side of Chris. "you keep thinking the next piece will solve it for you but maybe it's all the pieces you built and how they all fit together."

"What do you mean?"

"It's…" John floundered for a moment trying to find the right words to use. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle each part comes together to make a whole picture, and when you put the picture together you'll figure it all out."

"Huh." Chris mumbled to himself as he stared at his tech. While Chris did that, John took a closer look around the lab. When he did he found a door next to Chris's Armor stand when he opened it to look inside he found a cot.

"Hey Chris do you sleep in here?" Chris stop mumbling to himself to look at John when he heard his question.

"Uh sometimes." Chris answered, John turn to look at him saying nothing after a few seconds Chris spoke again. "All the time. Ever since that, you know the Endbringer."

"Have you been home at all since then?"

"Just long enough to check on my family. Afterwards I've been here." Chris gestured to his lab before placing his hands on the table. "It's my fault you know if I was a better Tinker he would still be here."

"Who?"

"Dean, Gallant I built the armor he wore. If I designed it better maybe added something to it, it would have let him survive long enough to get to help. Or if I never made him that armor he would have stayed away from Leviathan and lived." By the time Chris was done his voice was shaking and tears flowed from his eyes.

"You… it's not your fault. What happen no one could have planed for nobody on this team blames you Chris."

"I BLAME ME!" Chris shouted at John. He began pulling at his hair and staring at his table. "I have to be better so I don't lose anyone else I care about." John could say anything to refute him because he could understand Chris and would have done the same in thing.

"Okay fine." John sighed "I get it I really do but you won't help anyone if you work yourself to death. So I want you to take a break and sleep in your own bed not a cot in a closet. Can you do that?"

"Yeah I can do that." Chris told him as he calmed down. "And John takes for listening to me."

"Anytime, pal."


End file.
